Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world. We can verify from its traffics. Below are the latest traffic results from similarweb.com.
Above are some basic facts which you should pay attention to if you plan to buy furniture from Alibaba. Now let’s dive into the topic with some frequently asked questions that Alibaba furniture buyers’ concerns about the most.
Trade assurance is good for buyers though the charge is high on some conditions.
Only a few big factories choose Alibaba though Alibaba is trying to attract more.
It’s important to learn how to verify suppliers on Alibaba and control the quality .
Most Alibaba furniture suppliers can offer competent furniture products and a few of them can match with big factories.
As I have been a supplier on Alibaba for 8 years, let’s start straightforward with a list of facts about the Alibaba platform and furniture suppliers on it.
After talking to hundreds of Alibaba buyers, I realized that it’s necessary to help small-medium buyers get to know the facts and truths about Alibaba furniture.
I have heard a lot of successful stories of buying furniture from Alibaba. I have also witnessed many buyers get scammed when working with suppliers on Alibaba.
It has gathered lots of furniture suppliers of different furniture categories not only from China but also from other main furniture manufacturing countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India., etc.
Filter by the verified supplier. A verified supplier has a higher standard and must pass Alibaba’s audit . So, you can be sure that it is a true company and have a certain size.
The most straight and effective way is to make a factory visit. If it’s not possible for you and you don’t want to use a third-party service or an agent. You can follow the following steps.
We would like to recommend using a third-party service or an agent . It’s reliable and more effective. If you decided to do it by yourself. Here are a few tips.
There are thousands of furniture sellers on Alibaba. Most of them can be trusted to a certain extend. But it is necessary for you to be cautious. Necessary verification should be done before you start making an order.
You must be wondering how you can know whether the supplier you are researching is a factory or a trading company or combo. It’s simple. You can just check their about us pages. There you can find their identity easily because Alibaba will verify if a supplier wants to open an Alibaba account.
For example, you may find some of the furniture sellers on Alibaba are good at sofas, but coffee tables are outsourced. It is not hard to judge when you simply asking a few prices. If you find the price is not reasonable. It’s probably not produced by their own factory.
Manufacturing and trading combo often have a small factory for their core products. At the same time, they outsource related products to enrich their product lines.
Trading companies often have more product categories and styles as they have the entire China furniture factories as their source .
Furniture traders on Alibaba take products from factories and upload them to their Alibaba page to get customers. And most of the time they can offer better services than the factory. For a few items, they may even have better prices than factories as they can source nationwide and get a better deal.
Trading companies on Alibaba are small companies with less than 20 people. Mostly may have 5 to 10 people.
One of our UK clients once finds some good suppliers on Alibaba after investing a lot of time and money testing products and services from Alibaba furniture suppliers.
As small factories, they often specialize in a certain product category and won’t have lots of products in different styles. There is a good chance that you can find really good factories for a specific category if you can go deep into Alibaba furniture factories.
Factories on Alibaba are mainly small to medium-sized factories with less than 200 people. Most of them will be 50 to 100 people with 3 to 5 of them are export sales.
For trading companies, communication is mostly good and effective. But you may find that they have poor quality control as they do not own any factories.
For small furniture factories, you will probably find it hard to communicate with the sales because most of them are in the industrial area. It’s hard for them to hire salespeople who can speak fluent English. People, especially young people, do not wish to live there since it’s not convenient in life.
It’s very important to verify the supplier before making an order. Pre-shipment inspection is necessary while a during production inspection is recommended if you want to secure the quality of your order.
Based on our experience, you may have problems like poor communication, just so-so quality, unmatched products with photos, delay on deliveries., etc.
However, as I have mentioned earlier that most suppliers on Alibaba are small-medium sized companies. It’s impossible for Alibaba to ensure every one of them is good.
If you have enough time, you can dive into Alibaba’s supplier and get really good deals.
If you search for furniture on Alibaba, you will find that there are over 5000 furniture suppliers and more than 1 million products. It is no doubt there will be good furniture products and sellers though there are many duplicate products.
My answer is a straight “YES “but you have to learn how to verify. Why?
The verified suppliers also spent more money on Alibaba marketing, which means they are more competent than non-verified suppliers though it is not always true.
There is a chance you get scammed buying furniture on Alibaba. Here I would like to show you 5 types of typical scams that you may come across when buying furniture on Alibaba.
1) Attract you with beautiful brand furniture photos and deliver copies that are different from what you expected.
On Alibaba, you can find some really beautiful furniture photos. But wait a minute. They may come from brand furniture in Europe or in China. Many small furniture companies start with copy famous furniture brands like Minotti, Poliform., etc. When I was a new fish in the field. Once I was attracted by a furniture factory because they have very good product photos. I was amazed to find that there is such a factory in the town who is so serious about product photos. I decided to join them. However, after one month, I noticed the secret and found that it all comes from a famous brand in Europe.
Though there is a chance they can also produce similar products, but it won’t be the same. It won’t have the same taste as proportion and colors matter a lot for furniture.
Now Alibaba is also discouraging using branded photos. Despite the severe rules by Alibaba, there are still few sellers using fake photos. Or they use dedicatedly taken photos which is different from mass production.
Remember to ask for real photos from showroom and production will save you from such scam if you cannot visit the seller by yourself.
2) Offer a low price for a high-end product to get your down payment and then increase the price.
The competition on Alibaba is fierce as more and more suppliers joined the Alibaba platform.
I have once studied the top 20 furniture sellers on Alibaba. The result shows that they share the same character. They all have a very attractive price. And the design and quality for sure are equivalent to the price.
All furniture sellers on Alibaba knows this trick. And they use extremely low prices to attract customers. But when you get the quote, you will find that it’s only the price for a small part of the furniture. For example, an ottoman.
What worse, there are a few suppliers quote you with low price and all goes well until you paid the down payment. After the down payment is done, they claim that some of the material is out of stock or discontinues and ask you to make the change. And at the same time, they increase the price.
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3) Change materials without notification.
The supply of furniture materials is not stable, especially for material such as fabric. It may happen that the material you have selected discontinued after the order is finalized. Some small sellers may use similar materials for replacement without notification.
There is another situation which is connected with the second scam. Some of the bad sellers may offer very competitive prices to get your order and then use inferior material instead.
For products like sofas, there is a lot that can be done. From the wood frame to foam and spare parts. They may change the material. For example, imported solid pine wood frame and solid wood without requirement on wood category, there is a huge gap.
Though this seldom happens, you should be cautious about it. To completely get rid of this kind of scam, a during production inspection would work very well.
4) Disappear after receiving your payment.
Most furniture sellers on Alibaba are honest and many of them live on Alibaba. But sometimes there are cheaters. They have no intention to work as long-term sellers. They are there to cheat buyer’s money and then disappear.
5) Asking for payment to another account by hacking the supplier’s email address.
This is in fact not a scam caused by the seller, but by hackers. They normally hack the supplier’s email address and use a similar email address to communicate with you in the way your supplier communicates with you.
It’s not easy to notice it as they use similar email addresses which won’t get your attention and they won’t require abnormal actions until you trust them.
Finally, when it comes to the time of payment. They will ask you to make a payment to a different account.
To avoid been frauded, please do not accept any notice change sent by email or SMS. Call your supplier and clear the issue before you take further action.
You can also make payment through Alibaba trade assurance payment platform to avoid such scams.
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Yes, you can buy 1-piece furniture from Alibaba though there will only be a few suppliers accept such a small quantity.
Traditionally, Alibaba is a B2B platform, but as the development of cross-border e-commerce, part of sellers on Alibaba starts to involve in B2C business and accept retail orders.
The real problem for small quantity furniture orders on Alibaba maybe not the MOQ, but the prices and shipping cost.
From my 10 years of experience in the furniture sector, I know exactly how different it is the cost of small quantity production and large quantity production. So, the price will be much higher than the wholesale orders. Many customers are looking for furniture from China at wholesale prices while they are ordering a very small quantity. I should say that’s not always the real situation. There is no such thing unless there are special cases.
One of the situations you can get a good price for small quantity is that you buy through sourcing agents and trading companies like simonsense. A competent agent or trading companies have a good relationship with factories and buy a large amount yearly, thus makes it possible for them to negotiate a good price for retail orders.
Another major problem of buying a small quantity of furniture from Alibaba is the shipping cost. Furniture is of low value but high volume. It is quite costly to deliver by air. Few buyers will select air freight unless it’s very important and urgent.
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Normally people will choose shipment by the sea which takes a long time but much cheaper than by air. However, though it is cheaper than by air, it is still costly for LCL shipping.
After comparing all the cost, if you still find that it is cheaper for buying furniture from China. Simonsense and some trading companies can offer door to door services which means the only thing you need to do is receiving the furniture at home. You can contact us for a free consultation now.
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On Alibaba, there are several payment methods. Here is a table offered by Alibaba for your reference.
Payment MethodCurrency/LimitFeeProcessing timeCredit/Debit Card
For more details, you can go to the payment page on Alibaba.
To protect buyers, Alibaba offers trade assurance orders. In this way, you can get a refund if you get fraud dealing with Alibaba furniture sellers. It works in two steps:
Step 1: Place an online order with trade assurance suppliers
Step 2: Pay through Alibaba’s secure payment platform.
For a trade assurance order, if there’s an issue with your order, you can request a refund within 30 days of product delivery.
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Shipping furniture from China, especially small quantity is always a problem for both buyers and suppliers. It is costly compared with other products with higher value and smaller package and weight.
To solve this problem, Alibaba offers a shipping service at the buyer’s cost. It may be to some extent cheaper coz they can consolidate different orders from the same destination into one container and make the shipment. In this way, the share of cost might be lower than your agent quotes you.
If you would like to use Alibaba shipping service, you can contact your Alibaba furniture supplier. They can quote and arrange to use Alibaba shipping service.
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There are mainly 2 ways to ship furniture from China.
The best way to ship furniture from China would be FCL shipment as it saves significantly on the overall cost. To make FCL shipment, you can rely on a shipping forwarder or your sourcing agent, they can offer international shipping services to set you hassle-free.
LCL shipment is often costly due to the small quantity and there will be high handling charge and delivery cost at destination.
At simonsense, we often suggest our customers consolidate one container and make FCL shipment. It’s easy to fill one container if you buy most of the furniture and renovation materials from China.
Here in Guangdong, we have a wide range of options for all of those products. You can source without compromise with simonsense help. Contact us now for a free consultation.
As we have discussed in question 9, we can reduce the furniture shipping costs on Alibaba by consolidating one container for furniture and renovation material. In this way, you can save significantly on shipping costs. Talk to us, let simonsense help you handle your furniture from China.
Conclusion:
Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world, it has a wide range of furniture. However, it is necessary to be cautious when you are dealing with furniture suppliers on Alibaba. To engage a sourcing agent could be a good option to set you hassle-free from buying furniture on Alibaba.
About Simonsense:
Simonsense is a one-stop supply chain management company with a demonstrated history and experience. We help companies and individuals buy furniture and renovation materials from China at ease. Order a FREE consultation for your orders. We are glad to offer help.
The main reason of Importing furniture from China is the price advantage. Furniture made in China is known for its good quality and low price, which enables it to offer competitive prices to consumers and furniture retailers worldwide. Chinese products are reasonably priced, of good quality, and available through various supply channels. To meet multiple styles and needs, China local furniture production is vital. Whether modern and minimalist, classic and vintage, solid wood or artificial panels, small and delicate or luxurious and grand, you can find better quality products in China. With well-established supply chains, low labour costs and excellent production technology, China furniture companies have a considerable advantage in global trade. During the pandemic, the furniture export market realized rapid growth.
8 characteristics of China’s furniture exporting industry
1. Under the leadership of large enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises and their related industries are gradually developing in the direction of modernization, systematization and branding.
2. Cluster industrial layout formed by the regional economy with local characteristics, giving full play to the advantages of local resources and promoting the development of the regional economy. For example, the Zhejiang Haining sofa fully uses local leather garment resources and market advantage, which developed into an economy worth 200 million yuan.
3.Products have significant advantages in the following aspects: diversified functions, rich product types and market positioning, and different categories of products to choose from, such as laboratory furniture, bathroom furniture, children’s furniture and elderly furniture. In addition, we use new materials and natural stone to produce furniture.
4. The industrial layout of enterprises has become more specialized and gradient. They have changed the past development mode of constantly expanding the scale of production, but further subdivided and specialized their products, and further subdivided the various links of the industrial chain, showing a gradually increasing trend of gradient.
5. The furniture industry is highly competitive, and capital from other sectors is flowing into the decoration industry again, resulting in small enterprises, disordered management and chaos.
6. The export furniture from China are mainly concentrated in the low-end market so that profitability could be more robust.
7.Lack of innovation and homogenization is a severe problem.
8.The mainstream mode is OEM production, but there is a need for independent brands.
Why import furniture from China?
Previously, “Made in China” was often associated with cheap and low-quality products. But this is no longer the case. China’s rise as a manufacturing powerhouse and strict quality control measures have ensured that products made in China can easily compete with those made in the West. This development has made upholestery furniture such as sofas, beds, tables and chairs imported from China an attractive option.
There are several advantages to importing furniture products from China, such as sofas and beds. First, these furniture products offer diverse options, advanced manufacturing processes, and excellent raw material supply facilities, so furniture dealers and agents can find the perfect combination to meet various unique needs. Secondly, China’s low labour costs for furniture processing and very high furniture production levels provide:
As one of the world’s largest furniture producers and exporters, China has abundant raw material resources and cheap and skilled labour. This enables China furniture manufacturers to produce high-quality furniture at relatively low production costs. At the same time, China’s furniture manufacturing industry is experienced and has advanced production technology and equipment to ensure the quality and craftsmanship of its products.
In addition, the furniture market in China is highly competitive, and furniture manufacturers are constantly improving the quality of their products and design innovations to win consumers’ favour. Furniture dealers can work with furniture manufacturers in China to obtain high-quality and reasonably priced products to improve sales and customer satisfaction.
In summary, the opportunity for China to provide high-quality furniture at reasonable production costs benefits both furniture dealers and consumers.
1. Imported furniture from China offers significant cost efficiencies in the furniture industry. Compared to other countries, furniture made in China has a significant price advantage in labour and raw materials, resulting in lower prices. This enables furniture dealers and agents to purchase products at lower prices, increasing profit margins.
2. Diversified options for choosing furniture: Whether you want to buy modern sofas or traditional furniture or choose furniture with a minimalist aesthetic or post-modern style, China furniture manufacturers can meet your purchasing needs. For example, Rayleigh Furniture can provide furniture dealers with a large selection of upholstered furniture such as sofas, beds, tables and chairs, and the style of the furniture should be adapted to a variety of different materials such as wood, metal, plastic, etc., so that you can sell the table in the furniture showroom and allow customers to choose the product that suits their needs and décor style according to their preferences. This diversity of furniture can meet the needs of different markets, tastes and preferences.
3. Furniture customization: many China furniture manufacturers provide furniture customization services to meet the needs of specific projects. rayleigh Furniture provides customized furniture services, such as customized sofas according to the needs of the local furniture market, to meet the needs of local customers and gain a competitive advantage over other furniture dealers and agents, helping them to provide high-quality customer service and promote the development of the furniture agency market.
4. Reliable Furniture Supply: China furniture manufacturers attach great importance to the quality and reliability of their products. Many China furniture manufacturers have passed international quality certifications such as ISO and Standard 9001 to ensure their products meet standards and fulfil customer expectations. Through rigorous quality testing, China sofa factory ensure that their furniture will withstand prolonged use and wear and tear. While the reputation of made-in-China products may be susceptible to quality issues, leading manufacturers nowadays pay close attention to product quality and durability. They typically meet or exceed national standards and offer rigorously tested products that can withstand the rigours of commercial use. In addition, Chinese furniture manufacturers often offer long-term after-sales service and support to help their furniture dealers and agents provide after-sales service to local customers, giving consumers greater peace of mind when making their purchases.
5. Excellent furniture production process: China’s manufacturing industry is a craftsmanship leader, which also applies to sofa manufacturing. Chair sofas made in China usually utilize advanced production techniques and equipment to ensure the quality and durability of the products. According to the World Bank, China is the largest furniture manufacturing country in the world, with its manufacturing value added exceeding 28% of the world’s total. This indicates that China has significantly developed its manufacturing technology and production. In addition, China has a long tradition of craftsmanship. Many sofas made in China still utilize traditional craftsmanship techniques such as hand carving and weaving to showcase the unique aesthetics of traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
There are many factors to consider when importing furniture from China. The first is quality, which ensures that the furniture you choose is of good quality, uses furniture materials that comply with regulations and has undergone qualified testing and certification—Second is price. Depending on the type and specifications of the furniture required, you need to compare the prices of different suppliers and choose the one that meets your budget. In addition, the supplier’s reputation and service level must be considered. Choose a supplier with a good reputation and professionalism to ensure on-time delivery and after-sales service. Finally, it would help if you also considered the transportation and customs clearance procedures, chose the suitable transportation method, and understood the customs clearance process and related costs in advance. Considering all these factors, you can better select and import Chinese furniture that suits your needs.
When you want to import furniture in China, it is more complex than your local customers going to your furniture showroom or online furniture sales store to buy. Importing furniture requires attention to several factors, such as choosing a reliable furniture dealer, paying attention to the quality standards of the table, understanding China’s furniture export customs clearance and export procedures, and aspects of furniture shipping and transportation.
Choosing a Reliable Furniture Supplier
Choosing a reliable furniture dealer or reseller is very important; you should be keenly aware of this. When selecting a furniture dealer in China, it is essential to assess their production capacity, product quality, and adherence to supply schedules. If you choose a reputable furniture dealer, they will be able to deliver the furniture on time with urgent delivery schedule requirements so that you will have no worries about the quality of the furniture products. At the same time, they will also be able to provide timely deliveries to your furniture showroom or online furniture sales store within an adequate time frame to improve the time efficiency of deliveries. Rayleigh Furniture will provide you with detailed guidance on how to choose a reliable furniture dealer.
Setting Quality Standards for Furniture
Although we may have wrongly assumed in the past that Chinese products are not of high quality, the reality is that China has made great strides in improving the quality of its products. Many of the world’s top brands have their products manufactured in China. China furniture producers offer a wide selection of products, ranging from high-end to budget. It is essential to determine your actual quality standards. It would help if you chose to test product samples, visit factories or hire a third-party inspection service to ensure quality and quantity issues.
The export customs clearance and export procedure for furniture from China includes the following steps:
The entire export process must be operated in a compliant manner and follow international trade rules and regulations.
When importing furniture from China, it is critical to comply with the law and regulations, go through the process of exporting furniture and submit a series of documents required by the relevant government authorities. Furniture export documentation must comply with local laws and regulations and can be requested by the manufacturer. It can only be helped if the furniture manufacturer works with a furniture producer with international trade experience. For example, Rayleigh Furniture is a furniture factory with 30 years of experience exporting upholestery furniture such as sofas, beds, tables, chairs, etc. It is very familiar with furniture export customs clearance procedures, enabling it to complete them accurately and quickly.
Furniture transportation and logistics refers to transporting furniture from the place of production or sale to the consumer. This process includes packaging, handling, transportation, warehousing and distribution of furniture. Furniture transportation and logistics require consideration of factors such as safety, efficiency and cost of the vehicle to ensure that the table reaches the consumer quickly and safely. At the same time, the transportation and logistics of furniture also need to consider sustainable development factors such as space utilization, energy conservation and environmental pollution reduction to reduce the environmental impact.
As a large-scale export commodity, furniture packaging is crucial to customers. Furniture is enormous, and reasonable packaging can accommodate more sofas in the container, thus reducing transportation costs and increasing the profitability of furniture dealers. Therefore, when introducing furniture, reasonable furniture packaging is vital for furniture agents.
Tariffs and Taxes Imposed on Imported Furniture in China
When importing furniture, there is no way to avoid the imposition of duty-free taxes and import duties. Understanding factors such as seaport costs, import duties, and VAT is essential when importing goods from China. Different countries have their procedures for setting import duty rates. Let us consider the case of importing goods from China to any country in Europe. While importing goods from a non-EU country, China, all EU member states levy the same tax rates. The buyer is responsible for customs expenses. For import tax rates, consult your local customs agent’s customs clearance company or visit the official government customs website. If you need help, contact Rayleigh Furniture and ask our marketing director for assistance.
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